Blind ✥ HALE

1.5: Teachings.

❝You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him find it within himself.❞

✥

A couple of days later, I find myself leaving the store, right behind Scott while holding the list of groceries Aunt Mel sent him to buy. I hadn't even wanted to go with him in the first place but I knew my cousin well. He'd probably get sour cream instead of whipped cream if I didn't supervise him. Honestly, I don't know how the kid lives without me. (Cue haughty smirk, which I am in no way or form ashamed of.)

Scott is holding most of the groceries as I flick my cane back and forth, two loaves of bread in my other hand. "Hey, if you want, I can come over to your house to study tonight."

"And by study, you mean eat all the peanut butter in the fridge," Scott replies, pretending to be annoyed with me.

I shrug. Scott knew me just as perfectly as I knew him. "What can I say? Aunt Mel buys good peanut butter." I hear a scuffle and curse words as something falls to the ground. I roll my useless eyes goodnaturedly at my cousin. "Klutz."

"Look who's talking," he retorts.

I grin widely, amused. I stay still and listen to him grunt as he kneels down to get whatever he dropped, but then my ears pick up a faint growl. The Alpha? Here? Now?

"Oh crap." Scott grabs my shoulder and shoves me in front of him as we run. My head is whipping in every direction as I strain to pinpoint the Alpha's exact location. How could we have been ambushed so easily? I should've been paying attention, I should've...

My back is pushed against a car, Scott pulling me down into a crouching position. "Mimi, stay here. If anything happens, scream for the cops," he orders. I give him a nod, scared for him, but I knew better than to get in between a werewolf fight. I had faith that Scott would prevail (or at least run away and get help).

Scott leaves after running a hand down my face reassuringly, and I begin my attempt to regulate my breathing to stop myself from panicking. Or, you know, getting eaten by the Alpha (who's a stealthy bastard, just FYI). I close my eyes, count backwards by sevens from one hundred, and focus only any kind of clue as to what was going on.

I almost gasp aloud at the sound of a car alarm going off somewhere to my right, but someone places a hand over my mouth and I can feel their breath in my ear.  

"It's me."

I'm not freaking out. I mean, I should've been because, 1) there's a werewolf on the loose, 2) I'm blind, and 3) a guy just grabbed me. But it's not just any guy. I know it's Derek just by scent alone, his cologne already so familiar to me. I try not to think about it that much and instead become mad at him as he helps me up.

"Oh my God, you're such an—"

Somewhere nearby, a phone rings. Scott's phone. Together, Derek and I walk to the source of the sound. A tingling sensation shoots down my spine because of the heat radiating from the older werewolf's palm, but then it's gone when he proceeds to pounce on my cousin.

"You're dead," Derek deadpans.

Scott vocally displays his anger as I join the duo. "What... What the hell was that?" I can literally feel his accusing glare. "Mia? You were in on this?"

"Hell no." I shoot a glare towards where I think the dumbass werewolf is, but I'm sure it goes ignored.

"Said I was gonna teach you. I didn't say when," Derek tells Scott.

"Yeah, but was I a necessary element?" I spit. "Everything's a whole lot scarier when you're freakin' blind."

I freeze. God, I sound so whiny. Where was the strong Mia, the Mia that wasn't scared of protecting her widdle cousin, the same Mia that punched a werewolf a couple days ago? Being a damsel in distress is so cringey (especially a blind damsel in distress).